Modeling and Simulation of a Cellulose-Acetate Blend Ultrafiltration Membrane using Bovine Serum Albumin Solution

In the present work, a numerical simulation of an ultrafiltration (UF) process of BSA solution through flat sheet membranes is carried out by solving the convective diffusion Eq. (CDE) for mass balance to predict permeate flux behavior in a dead end UF cell. Using the trust-region nonlinear regression technique, the experimental data obtained for flux and observed rejection of CA/SPEEK blend membranes were curve fitted to obtain the values for the permeability coefficient (Pm), reflection coefficient (σ) and mass transfer coefficient (k). The model is tested for numerical stability and accuracy by varying key numerical parameters such as the numerical time step (Δt).